Scottish Executive

Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review pages 15 and 16 of the Code of Practice for the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 which determine the application of legal aid for guardianship applications and intervention orders.

Cathy Jamieson: As part of an overall monitoring exercise of the implementation of the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000, the Executive is in discussion with the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the Law Society of Scotland and other interested parties with a view to identifying difficulties in accessing legal aid and measures which will improve the current situation. Any amendment to the code of practice will be considered on conclusion of these discussions.

Asbestos

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether white asbestos is as dangerous as blue or brown asbestos.

Lewis Macdonald: Health and safety policy is a reserved matter and the question should be more appropriately addressed to the UK Government or the Health and Safety Executive.

Asbestos

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with, or what representations it has made to, Her Majesty's Government on the impact of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (2002) on business and farming communities.

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with, or what representations it has made to, the Health and Safety Executive on the impact of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (2002) on business and farming communities.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including health and safety.

Asthma

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost to the NHS is of drugs prescribed for the treatment of asthma.

Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the gross ingredient cost of drugs used in the management of asthma for the financial years 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. These data relate to prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors and do not take into account items dispensed by hospitals or hospital-based clinics. The cost given is the cost of the items before the addition of pharmacy fees and the deduction of any discount or patient charges.

  It is important to note that the preparations can be used to treat conditions other than asthma. Prescription data are not patient-specific and do not identify the condition for which a particular medicine was prescribed.

  Gross Ingredient Cost: All NHS Boards

  


Preparation

Gross Ingredient Cost (£)



2001-02

2002-03

2003-04



Adrenoceptor agonists

21,761,693

21,658,898

21,935,247



Antimuscarinic bronchodilators

2,717,574

3,051,891

5,316,344



Theophylline

683,058

659,620

627,449



Compound bronchodilators

3,640,393

3,776,137

3,563,922



Corticosteroids

36,579,518

40,628,859

43,877,322



Cromoglicate and related therapy

374,197

324,346

266,413



Leukotriene receptor antagonists

2,246,668

2,651,423

3,048,939



Total

68,003,101

72,751,174

78,635,636



  The information in the table has been provided by ISD Scotland.

Civil Service

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to disperse civil service jobs to Clydesdale.

Tavish Scott: The Executive is committed to the dispersal of public sector jobs and wants to see all areas of Scotland benefit from the policy, including areas of most need. When relocation is being considered, no parts of the country are targeted, nor are any ruled out. Each location review is viewed on its own merits and decisions are reached on a case by case basis. Clydesdale will continue to be considered as a potential area for relocation.

Community Safety

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports neighbourhood watch.

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports neighbourhood watch associations using the Neighbourhood Watch logo to gain private sponsorship.

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will finance neighbourhood watch in the event of a decision by the Home Office to cease support in the next financial year.

Hugh Henry: The Home Office decision refers only to financial support for the National Neighbourhood Watch Association an independent organisation which operates in England and Wales and which has no equivalent in Scotland. The Home Office will continue to provide support and advice for local schemes under the neighbourhood watch movement. Local neighbourhood watch schemes in Scotland are set up and supported by the police and the Executive provides support by way of free publicity materials. The question of the use of the Neighbourhood Watch logos by local schemes is currently being pursued by the Home Office with a view to taking action to assert Crown copyright to protect the name and standing of the neighbourhood watch movement.

Conservation

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities it funds (a) directly and (b) indirectly through grant aid to local authorities to ensure that stained glass from buildings being demolished or altered is adequately stored, conserved and where possible reused.

Mr Frank McAveety: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland, to answer. His response is as follows:

  Where stained glass windows form part of a listed building or a building within an outstanding Conservation Area, Historic Scotland may grant aid their repair and conservation.

  Historic Scotland has no grant scheme to fund the storage of stained glass windows removed from demolished or altered buildings.

  Local authorities may grant aid the storage, conservation and reuse of stained glass windows through their own conservation grant schemes.

Culture

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost is of the Culture Commission; by what date must it report to the Executive, and whether such costs will represent value for money.

Mr Frank McAveety: I announced to Parliament on 22 April that the Cultural Commission would report to Ministers by June 2005. I reported the provisional budget of £478,000 in answer to question S2W-8237 on 11 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

  Since the Commission's work will influence how we spend some £120 million of public funds each year, I do not think the cost of engaging in this review is in any way disproportionate. Like all such bodies, the commission will seek to ensure the cost effective use of the resources we have made available for its work, and will be subject to audit.

Energy

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish details of energy sources and usage.

Lewis Macdonald: Information on electricity generated and consumed in Scotland and sources of electricity generation in Scotland is available through the Scottish Executive's Environment Statistics website which can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/DD/EAS/00015637/page309788645.aspx.

Environment

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has had to its consultation on the European Commission's consultation on its chemical regulation, the Regulation, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH).

Ross Finnie: The consultation on the European Commission's new chemicals policy known as REACH has been jointly issued by the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. Twenty responses to the consultation have so far been received by the UK Government. Two of these, which were from Scottish organisations, were copied to the Scottish Executive by the consultees. The consultation finishes on 25 June.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the necessary measures to implement the Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 will be in place by 1 July 2004.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). I understand that SEPA has taken the necessary steps to change its procedures and systems.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to prepare for the implementation of the Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has taken the necessary steps to change its procedures and systems. SEPA and the Executive have met representatives of the waste industry to explain the new measures.

Equine Industry

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations exist regarding the export of horses from Scotland for the purpose of slaughter outwith the UK and whether it has had any recent discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) about such regulations.

Ross Finnie: The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 and the Export of Horses (Minimum Value) Order 1956, as amended, require that horses are fit for transport and that they meet minimum values. These values are £715 for draft horses, £495 for vanners, mules or jennets, £220 for an ass, £300 for ponies over 122 cms and up to 147 cms, £145 for Shetland ponies up to 107 cms, and £220 for all other ponies. A pony is an equine of 14.2 hands or less in height.

  Scottish Executive officials have been in regular contact with Defra to discuss the continuation of the minimum value rules.

Equine Industry

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations are in place in respect of the couping of horses.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what breeds of horses were couped in the last year.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vets in Scotland carried out couping of horses in the last year.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what specific veterinary conditions couping of horses is carried out.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training vets receive to allow them to carry out couping of horses.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many farriers currently carry out couping of horses.

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training farriers receive to allow them to carry out couping of horses.

Ross Finnie: With the exception of the Highlands and Islands, the Farriers Act 1975 requires that any farriery must only be carried out by a registered farrier. The Scottish Executive is reviewing this legislation and will be issuing a consultation paper in the autumn seeking views on whether this exemption should continue to apply.

  Couping is a laymen's term used to describe the shoeing methods used to change the gait or stance of horses. Uneven or corrective shoeing can be done for welfare purposes to correct a physical defect in the animal and training on this type of corrective shoeing and the physiology of the horse is an important part of the training of both veterinary surgeons and farriers. The Scottish Executive have no records on how many farriers or veterinary surgeons carry out "couping", nor on which breeds of horses.

  The Clydesdale Horse Society and the Farriers Registration Council have produced guidelines which limit the degree of couping which is considered acceptable. Views on this specific issue are being sought in the consultation paper issued by the Scottish Executive on 31 March 2004 on proposals to revise existing animal welfare legislation.

Flood Prevention

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The State of the Nation 2004 - An assessment of the state of the UK's infrastructure by the Institution of Civil Engineers , whether it has any plans to create a flood-risk map for the whole of Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) already holds indicative flood-risk maps for the Scottish mainland; copies of these are available for inspection at SEPA's offices. SEPA also supplied copies of the maps to planning authorities in 1997.

  Last October I announced additional funding to enable SEPA to commission second generation flood-risk maps for the whole of Scotland. These updated maps will benefit from the latest available techniques, thereby allowing further refinement of indicative flood-risk areas.

Flood Prevention

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The State of the Nation 2004 - An assessment of the state of the UK's infrastructure by the Institution of Civil Engineers , what steps it has taken to identify cost-effective measures to protect existing properties from flooding.

Allan Wilson: It is for local authorities to identify cost effective measures to protect properties in their areas from flooding. However, the National Technical Advisory Group on Flooding Issues, established by the Executive last autumn, is developing improved national guidance on flood-risk management for publication later this year. This guidance will help local authorities in meeting the Executive's long standing requirement for grant aid, that flood prevention schemes demonstrate value for money.

Flood Prevention

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The State of the Nation 2004 - An assessment of the state of the UK's infrastructure by the Institution of Civil Engineers , what measures are in place to co-ordinate action between all statutory authorities in responding to flooding incidents.

Hugh Henry: Throughout Scotland, local authorities and the emergency services take the issue of flood prevention and flood warning very seriously. In all areas likely to be affected by flooding, generic multi-agency response plans exist to deal with this risk. Furthermore, each area is represented by multi-agency flood liaison/response groups, which can be brought together at the earliest sign of potential risk of flooding. Further details of the multi agency response can be found on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's website ( www.sepa.org.uk ).

Flood Prevention

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The State of the Nation 2004 - An assessment of the state of the UK's infrastructure by the Institution of Civil Engineers , whether it will complete, as a matter of urgency, an asset management plan for river and sea defences and, if so, what steps it has taken to complete such a plan.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has recently commissioned consultants to develop a data-base of all flood defences constructed by local authorities under the provisions of the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961. This data-base will provide information and condition assessments of these flood defences.

  However, management of flood defences is not a matter for the Executive: instead, this is for local authorities or landowners. While the availability of the proposed data-base will help in the management of assets it is not the Executive's responsibility to draw up asset management plans.

Health

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the report by Professor Sir John Temple on the future of Scotland's medical workforce.

Malcolm Chisholm: Securing Future Practice - The Response of the Scottish Executive was published alongside Sir John Temple's report on 9 June 2004. It contains the Executive's response to each of the report's recommendations and sets out work already underway to respond to the challenges identified. It can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/health/sfpser.pdf .

Health Councils

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many health councils there are, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Scotland currently has 15 local health councils, one in each NHS board area.

Health Councils

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the remuneration rate for membership of health councils is set nationally.

Malcolm Chisholm: Members of Scotland's 15 local Health Councils are volunteers who are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.

Health Councils

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a publicly-available membership list for each health council.

Malcolm Chisholm: Details about local health councils, including in some cases membership details, can be obtained from the Scottish Association of Health Councils on (0141) 225 6880 or through their website at http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sahc .

Housing

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it now expects to publish the futurebuilders programme.

Ms Margaret Curran: I hope to make an announcement shortly.

Information Technology

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that broadband internet access is available in areas where ADSL broadband is currently unviable.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-8939 on 23 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..

Landfill Tax Credit Scheme

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was granted to social enterprise furniture reuse projects last year under the landfill tax credit scheme and whether it expects this figure to be maintained under the Strategic Waste Fund: Community Sector (Temporary Support) Fund.

Ross Finnie: Information on the landfill tax credit scheme is not held centrally. ENTRUST, the regulator of the scheme, can provide information on grants awarded to Environmental Bodies registered under the scheme (www.entrust.org.uk, tel: (0161) 972 0044).

  Following reform of the landfill tax credit scheme on 1 April 2003 the Executive established replacement grant schemes for both 2003-04 and 2004-05. These schemes were for sustainable waste management projects previously in receipt of landfill tax credits. In 2003-04, a total of £2.4 million was awarded. No furniture-reuse projects applied to this fund. In 2004-05 £1.6 million was awarded including £65,920 for three furniture-reuse projects.

Livestock

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what immediate steps it will be taking to pursue with EU officials the scope for flexibility in the beef national envelope regime, as recommended by the Environment and Rural Development Committee in its 7th Report 2004 (Session 2), Report on the Implementation of the Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in Scotland (SP Paper 173), given the national envelope timetable.

Ross Finnie: The Executive have discussed the question of use of the beef national envelope with EU Commission officials on several occasions since February, when the announcement was made about use of the envelope. While there is flexibility in its use, notably in terms of the relative focus on quality or environmental objectives, EU legislation requires that it must be operated in a way which does not result in discrimination amongst producers. Hence it is not possible to operate a scheme which pays calves or cows at different rates in different areas.

  Also, the legislation specifies that once set, the rate of the national envelope cannot be changed until the legislation is reviewed - at the latest in 2009. Seeking change to this would mean a re-opening of the package agreed in June last year. This would require widespread support from other member states; there is no such support.

Local Government Finance

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are required to record expenditure on consultancy, using the standard guidance on the definition of consultancy applied across the United Kingdom or otherwise, separately from other categories of spending.

Mr Andy Kerr: Local authorities are not required to record expenditure on consultancies separately from other categories of spending in the financial returns they provide to the Scottish Executive.

National Health Service

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what types of transport have been used for patient travel by each NHS board since 1999, giving the cost and percentage of usage of each type of transport in each year.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.

National Health Service

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls have been received by NHS 24 since the service commenced and how many such calls were hoaxes.

Malcolm Chisholm: To-date NHS 24 has received some 1.1 million calls. There is no direct measure of hoax calls. NHS 24 processes minimise the impact of such calls. There is no feedback from GPs or other partner services to suggest that hoax calls cause problems for them.

Oil

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government on the impact of increased oil prices on the Scottish economy.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the impact of oil prices on the Scottish economy.

Ragwort

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of funding are currently available to institutions undertaking research into the effects of ragwort.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive gives approximately £45 million annually to support institutions undertaking agricultural and biological research. The Environment and Rural Affairs Department has not commissioned any research into the effects of ragwort. Should a need for such research be identified, funding would be made available from within the annual budget at an appropriate level.

Ragwort

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what institutions in Scotland are currently undertaking research into the effects of ragwort.

Ross Finnie: To our knowledge, there are no institutions in Scotland undertaking research into the effects of ragwort.

Ragwort

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research is currently being undertaken by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department into the effects of ragwort.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department is not currently undertaking any research into the effects of ragwort.

Ragwort

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the research and development of a blood test for ragwort poisoning similar to that which is being developed at the University of Liverpool.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive does not currently have any plans to support the research and development of a blood test for ragwort poisoning.

Ragwort

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to initiate legislation in the Parliament similar to the Ragwort Control Act 2003.

Ross Finnie: A framework for taking action to control the spread of ragwort already exists in Scotland, under powers conferred by the Weeds Act 1959. Each year, the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department undertakes an assessment of the level of the problem posed by ragwort and other injurious weeds in Scotland, by collating information on the complaints received by its area offices. Data has been compiled from 2003, and compared with similar information about complaints received in previous years. This information is used to determine the potential need in Scotland for changes in legislation or guidance.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider regulation of bus services in light of the selection of First Group plc as the preferred bidder for the ScotRail franchise and, if not, what steps it will take to protect commuters from possible abuse of a monopoly situation.

Nicol Stephen: There are no current plans to increase regulation of the bus industry. It is for the Competition Commission to determine the conditions, if any, to be imposed on First Group to protect users of public transport from abuse of a monopoly situation. First Group will be required to comply with these conditions as a matter of competition law. There is no direct role for the Scottish Executive. However, should the Scottish Executive obtain evidence that an abuse of a monopoly situation was occurring, it would have no hesitation in drawing this to the attention of the competition authorities.

Rail Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of rail travellers in Scotland use ScotRail trains.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is available from tables 8.1 and 8.3 of Scottish Transport Statistics No. 22 published by the Scottish Executive in 2003 a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 29044).

Renewable Energy

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for setting renewable targets for energy as a whole rather than for electricity as one source of energy.

Lewis Macdonald: The targets which we have set for renewable electricity reflect our legislative powers and the obligation on licensed electricity suppliers to provide more of their power from qualifying renewable sources.

  We continue to support and increase renewable heat production through our Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative, and to fund conversions to more sustainable forms of transport fuel through our Powershift programme.

Residential Care

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8629 by Mr Tom McCabe on 10 June 2004, why local authority care homes are funded to cover the full cost to the authority of providing care home places while care homes in the independent sector are funded below the cost of providing such places.

Mr Tom McCabe: The cost of local authority homes is a matter for individual local authorities. However, information received indicates that while there are regional variations in the differential in the cost of care, in some cases this is quite small. As the statutory provider of services, local authorities provide care homes where the private sector is not prepared to engage, because to do so would be uneconomical.

Schools

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to issue guidance on consultation procedures to be followed on the proposed closure of schools.

Peter Peacock: I indicated to the Education Committee on 26 May that I plan to write to local authorities on these issues in September.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3508 by Colin Boyd QC on 14 November 2003, whether the work of the Scottish Criminal Record Office in general was examined prior to January 1997 and, if so, how many years' work prior to this date was examined and who undertook such an examination.

Cathy Jamieson: The work of the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) in general is routinely examined as part of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) inspection programmes. Prior to 1997, the SCRO was inspected by HMIC in 1993 and 1995.

Scottish Executive Finance

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual or estimated total value of all financial transactions was (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, (v) the Isle of Man and (vi) other countries with similar tax policies by its departments and agencies and their predecessors, in each year since 1996.

Mr Andy Kerr: No financial transactions (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, and (v) the Isle of Man were recorded in each year since 1999. Information for the years before 1999 is not available.

Scottish Executive Finance

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual or estimated total nominal value and number was of any transfers of assets, other than financial transactions, (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, (v) the Isle of Man and (vi) other countries with similar tax policies by its departments and agencies and their predecessors, in each year since 1996.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive is not knowingly aware of any such transfers of assets by its departments and agencies since 1996.

Scottish Natural Heritage

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the notice 52027-2004 in the Official Journal of the European Communities , whether it has invited tenders for the relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage headquarters and associated services and, if so, which are the four to six companies invited to submit such tenders and what advice has been issued to them in respect of the expected cost of the headquarters.

Allan Wilson: No, this is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage.

Sport

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost to implement target 2 of National Strategy for Sport in Scotland, Sport 21 2003-07.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive will be carrying out a study, to look at all the implications of the Physical Education Review Group's recommendations and my response to them. Part of this study will focus on the cost of providing two hours physical education for each child every week and the timescale involved in this.

Sport

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of PE teachers.

Peter Peacock: The provision of 400 additional PE teachers to support aims arising from the PE Review is part of the Partnership for a Better Scotland commitment to increase visiting specialists working across the primary/secondary boundary, and sits within the context of our general commitment to increase teacher numbers to 53,000.

  We are working with the higher education institutions and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to ensure expansion in ITE places to make sure these new PE teachers can come via increases in initial teacher education provision and via the development of courses so that existing members of the profession can develop specialist skills in the area.

Sport

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the likely timescale is for the implementation of target 2 of National Strategy for Sport in Scotland, Sport 21 2003-07.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9046 on 28 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Student Finance

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used by the Students Awards Agency for Scotland when calculating levels of financial assistance for students.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in Student Support in Scotland: Guide to student support 2004-2005 (SAS 4) produced by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. A copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 33041) and on the agency's website at www.saas.gov.uk .

Tourism

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how current fee-paying members of area tourist boards (ATBs) will be able to guide local policy on tourism and whether the cost of membership of accreditation schemes will rise as a consequence of removal of such fee-paying membership of ATBs, when ATBs have been absorbed into VisitScotland.

Mr Frank McAveety: Businesses, including but not limited to those who are currently members of area tourist boards, will be able to engage with the new tourism network through their local tourism hub, which will act as a focal point for area tourism policy and the development of specific initiatives.

  The cost of Quality Assurance (QA) accreditation schemes is an operational matter for VisitScotland. However, VisitScotland has confirmed that fees for QA accreditation will not be increased in order to replace area tourist board membership income.

Voluntary Sector

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S2W-2841 by Ms Margaret Curran on 6 October 2003, when it now anticipates that it will reach a decision on the provision of a futurebuilders programme.

Ms Margaret Curran: I hope to make an announcement shortly.